How to get a great workout when far from home.
By Strength Sensei CP
Publication Date: 2010
“What makes you select a particular gym to train at when you are on the road?” is a question I am often asked at seminars.
First, I prefer to train at a “gym” rather than a fitness center, which is why I always scout ahead. Building muscle and strength requires basic, heavy duty equipment and a great atmosphere. This is why when I am in Budapest, I prefer to train at Johnny Lantos’s gym, which is state of the art. He only has 300 members, but they are all dedicated, which drives up the training atmosphere, so you want to work harder.
From experience in training at gyms worldwide, here are the five best predictors I’ve found to determine if a gym will be good:
- Long opening hours.Gyms that stay open longer often have better equipment.
- An extensive, post-workout bar.There seems to be a connection between the size of the post-workout bar and the quality of the weight training equipment.
- A large number of calf machines.If they pay that much attention to relatively small muscle groups such as the calves, they are sure to have a lot of great toys.
- Heavy dumbbells.If you see a pair of 200-pound dumbbells, you’ve come to the right place!
- Members would readily spit on the floor if allowed.Hardcore lifters are not always the best-mannered people. In fact, one of the best gyms I have trained in London has a sign, “Please do not spit out the window.
Here are a few examples of great gyms: Top Gym in the 19th district in Vienna, Pro Gym in Montreal, Atlantis in Laval. World Gym in Oslo, and Johnny Lantos in Budapest. But there are exceptions. The Irish Strength Institute is not open 24 hours, but it is an excellent gym that I would recommend. World Class gym in Iceland is outstanding in terms of equipment. Oddly enough, everybody in that gym is fit. It looked like you need proof of fitness before joining the gym.
Just because you are in a big city does not mean that you will find a great gym. New York, London, and Paris have few great gyms per capita, so I usually end up going to one of my students’ gym. When in New York City, I go to Joe Dowdell’s Peak Performance. When in London, I go to Nick Mitchell’s Ultimate Performance. London is a large city that makes transportation a challenge, so I like training at Dave Beattie’s Genesis Gym — I always have a great workout there. Dave is a world-class powerlifter with extensive experience in the Iron Game.
In Reykjavik, I like Jakabol’sgym, which belongs to legendary strongman Magnus Ver Magnusson. His gym has a great training atmosphere. In Oslo, I love World Gym,run by Espen Amtzen. In Stockholm, I have had amazing workouts at Balance Gym.
Build a hardcore gym, and hardcore bodybuilders will follow. (This photo and lead photo by Miloš Šarčev)
I’ve found that the greater the criminal element in the membership, the better the gym. I’m serious! In grad school, I trained at a gym where I was probably the only member without a criminal record. The gym members used to tease me for going to the University. If I walk into a gym and feel it would be best to have a Glock on my hip when I squat, I know it will be a great gym.
If I do not have a chance to scout beforehand, I don’t use the Yellow Pages. Instead, I ask the biggest bouncer at the local watering hole for recommendations. If you are in the US, it’s often the gym that sits between a bails bond office and a pawn shop. There is such a gym Denmark — I stepped on a spent .12-gauge shell on my way out of that gym once!
When I am restricted to going to a “fitness center,” there is always some skinny-fat trainer, with the calf development of a parrot, on the cell phone yakking away. My initial response on how to interact with such a person would not be accepted in most legal systems…but maybe I could organize a petition!
Training is important to me. Even when I am on the road, I will drive an hour to go to a gym where I know I will get a great workout. For example, in Ottawa, time permitting, I won’t mind driving an hour out of town to train with Clarke Flynn at his gym. He is a great training partner, and his gym is awesome!
